Why Patagonia?
Patagonia. Like the region he had just visited. In those years Yvon Chounaird had just completed the climb to climb with his friends Cerro Fitz Roy, he was inspired by the name of his new clothing line
Yvon Chouinard, Patagonia's founder, got his startù as a climber in 1953 as a 14-year-old member of the Southern California Falconry Club, which trained hawks and falcons for hunting. After one of the adult leaders, Don Prentice, taught the boys how to rappel down the cliffs to the falcon aeries, Yvon and his friends became so fond of the sport they started hopping freight trains to the west end of the San Fernando Valley, to the sandstone cliffs of Stoney Point. There, eventually, they learned to climb up as well as rappel down the rock.......
Patagonia grew out of a small company that made tools for climbers. Alpinism remains at the heart of a worldwide business that still makes clothes for climbing – as well as for skiing, snowboarding, surfing, fly fishing, paddling and trail running. These are all silent sports. None require a motor; none deliver the cheers of a crowd. In each sport, reward comes in the form of hard-won grace and moments of connection between us and nature.
Patagonia’s Mission Statement : build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
We began making recycled polyester from plastic soda bottles in 1993–the first outdoor clothing manufacturer to transform trash into fleece. It was a positive step toward a more sustainable system–one that uses fewer resources, discards less and better protects people’s health.
Today, we recycle used soda bottles, unusable manufacturing waste and worn-out garments (including our own) into polyester fibers to produce clothing. And we offer recycled polyester in a lot more garments, including Capilene® baselayers, shell jackets, board shorts and fleece.
Using recycled polyester lessens our dependence on petroleum as a source of raw materials. It curbs discards, thereby prolonging landfill life and reducing toxic emissions from incinerators. It helps to promote new recycling streams for polyester clothing that is no longer wearable.